2 Samuel 11:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Uriah slept at the door of the king 's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

NIV: But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

NASB: But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

CSB: But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house.

NLT: But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

KJV: But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

NKJV: But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

David, king of Israel, has summoned his general Uriah home from battle. He asks for an update on the Israelites' war against the Ammonites. David honored Uriah with a gift and encouraged him to go home and relax with his wife. That's the picture David has presented to Uriah, anyway. In truth, David hopes that Uriah, home from battle, will sleep with his wife so that no one else will know that she's carrying David's child (2 Samuel 11:1–8).

Uriah unwittingly ruins David's plan for a cover-up by not going home to Bathsheba. Instead, he sleeps in the guard barracks with David's servants. David should have known this was a strong possibility.

When David ran from Saul, he went straight to the tabernacle in Shiloh and asked the priests if they had any food. He tricked the priest into thinking he had a squad of men, and they were in a hurry to complete a mission for Saul. The only food the priests had was the bread of the presence: the twelve loaves set aside as a symbol of communion with God. The priest was reluctant to give God's food to David but eventually set a condition: David could have the bread if he and his men had not had sex (1 Samuel 21:1–4). David replied, "Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?" (1 Samuel 21:5).

Setting aside David's lie that these "young men" existed, David does seem to value abstinence during campaigns. When David was fleeing from Saul, before he became king of Judah and settled in Hebron, he had two wives but no children (1 Samuel 25:42–43; 2 Samuel 2:30:2–5).

So, it's not surprising that Uriah refuses to go home and be with his wife. Although David will now be forced to get more creative to cover his sin and betrayal against Uriah and Bathsheba.

In 2 Samuel 11:6–13, David plans a cover-up. While Uriah the Hittite was fighting the Ammonites at David's command, David slept with Uriah's wife Bathsheba. Now, Bathsheba is pregnant, and there's no way to pretend Uriah is the father. David recalls Uriah from the front line, thinking Uriah will visit home and have sex with his wife. Thinking about his comrades, sleeping in tents, Uriah refuses. So, David takes things a step further. He sends Uriah back with orders for Joab to arrange for Uriah's death in battle (2 Samuel 11:14–15).

In 2 Samuel 11, David commits grievous sins. Joab and the Israelite army, including the warrior Uriah, are finishing the battle against the Ammonites. Back in Jerusalem, David takes notice of Uriah's wife and impregnates her. When she informs David of the pregnancy, David recalls Uriah. The king expects the soldier to sleep with his wife and claim the child. Uriah's intense loyalty and integrity prevent him from even visiting his house while the others are still at war. David tells Joab to have Uriah killed in battle. God sends Nathan to confront David. David sincerely repents, but God takes the child (2 Samuel 12).

Second Samuel 11 begins the account of David's greatest sins. David sleeps with and impregnates a soldier's wife, Bathsheba. To hide his sin, David has the soldier killed in battle. God tells Nathan to rebuke David, and David repents fully. But God still takes the life of the baby boy (2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51). The story reveals two things about God. First, He is willing to restore His relationship with us when we repent from even the most horrible sin. And second, He has no interest in shaming vulnerable victims of powerful people.